Sponge mop having a detachable head



SPONGE MAP HAVING A DETACHABLE HEAD Filed April 20, 1962 2 Sheets-Sheet -1 l/VVE/V TOR Hus/l Mat/ll) A TTORNE 7 Nov. 24, 1964 v H. 'MURPHY 3,157,901

SPONGE MAP HAVING A DETACHABLE HEAD Filed April 20, 1962 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR 14 06 Mam /Ir ATTORNEY 3,157,991 PONGE Mil HAVENG A DETAQHABLE HEAD Hugh Murphy, Hockering, Wetting, Surrey, England,

assignor to The Prestige Group Limited, London, England, a British company Filed Apr. Ztl, 1962, Ser. No. 1893319 Claims priority, application Great Britain, Apr. 25, 196i, 14,955/61 3 Claims. (Cl. 15-444) This invention relates to a sponge map having a detachable head or the like.

It is known to have a mop which includes a replaceable head attached to a carrier plate by means of, for example, bolts and removable wing nuts. A difficulty which arises in mops ofthis type is that replacement of the mop head is frequently an inconvenient and timeconsuming operation, and it is an object of the present invention to provide a mop or the like of the above type in which the replacement of the mop or like head is greatly facilitated.

In broad concept, the invention provides a mop or like head comprising a substantially rigid backing member provided with opposed recesses which are arranged to receive extensible members of a carrier to secure the mop or like head to the carrier.

Further according to the present invention there is provided a mop or the like comprising a carrier plate formed between its edges with a hinge, a mop or like head comprising a substantially rigid backing member with opposed recesses which are arranged to receive the edges of the hinged carrier plate to secure the mop or like head to the carrier plate when the carrier plate is in an unfolded position, and means for folding and unfolding the carrier plate about its hinge and for holding the plate in its unfolded position.

The invention also provides a mop or like head for use with a mop or the like as defined above.

The means for folding and unfolding the carrier plate may comprise a lever mechanism of the type incorporated in the framework of a self-wringing mop having a foldable mop head and the mop or like heads according to the present invention are eminently suited to use with mop frameworks of this type.

The invention will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

FIGURE 1 is a fragmentary side elevation showing a self-wringing mop of a known kind;

FIGURE 2 is a fragmentary side elevation showing the mop with its carrier plate in the position for attachment to a mop head according to the invention;

FIGURE 3 is a plan of the mop head shown in FIG- URE 2;

FIG. 4 is a view of the mop with the carrier plate in operatively engaged position with the head of the mop, said view being taken as a section through the head of the mop along a line 4-4 as indicated in FIG. 3; and

FTGURE 5 is a fragmentary perspective view showing an alternative form of head.

Referring to FIGURE 1 of the drawings, the known mop comprises a handle it of which the lower end is secured in a shaped socket member 11. A carrier plate 12 secured to the member 11 comprises wings 13 and 14 connected by a hinge 15 which lies intermediate the edges of the carrier plate, and part 13 being riveted to the base of member 11.

A bracket 16 is secured to the mop handle 10 and carries a pivotal lever 17 which is connected through a cranked rod 18 with the part 14 of the carrier plate 12. The rod 18 is pivotally attached at 19 to the lever 17 and at 2th to a bracket 21 which is secured to the part 14.

United States Patent 0 A resilient plastic clip 22 is provided to hold the rod and thus the lever 17 in the positions shown in FIGURE 1.

A plastic sponge slab 23 is attached to the carrier plate by means of novel turnbuckle devices 24. The four devices 24 extend through plates (not shown) secured to the slab 23 and through shaped slots in the parts 13 and 14.

As is known in mops of this kind, squeezing of the sponge can be effected, to expel water, by downward pivotal movement of the lever 17.

Referring now to FIGURE 2, the carrier plate 12 is shown in its partly folded position and is located above a scrubber mop head 25 according to the invention. The scrubber mop or shampooer head 25 comprises a plastic backing member 26 which is secured to a wooden base 27 by means of screws 28. The backing member 26* presents an upwardly facing area commensurate with the peripheral limits of the base 27. A plastic sponge slab- 2:9 and bristles 3d are secured to the base 27. An upstanding peripheral iiange 31 extends around the member 26 and at each corner a lip 32 projects inwardly a short distance to provide recesses which can be seen in FIG- URE 4. Openings 33 are formed in the member 26 to facilitate the moulding process and a part 34 is provided for hanging the head 25 when not in use.

To attach the mop head to the carrier plate'lZ, the mop head is placed on a floor and the handle It is moved downwardly in the direction of arrow A (FIGURE 2) so that the edges of the carrier plate enter the member 26. The lever 17 is then moved upwardly and the carrier plate unfolds to cause the edges of the plate to en age in the recesses under the lips 32 and hold the mop head securely in position, as shown in FIGURE 4, the hinge 15 engaging the base of the member 26. The position of the unfolded plate 12 is also indicated, in broken lines, in FIG- URE 3. Thus, the mop or like head can easily be removed from or attached to the carrier plate by folding or unfolding the wings through a relatively small angle whereby the edges of the hinged plate withdraw from or enter into the recesses. The extension of the flange 31 so as to provide portions along opposite end edges of member 26 is effective to present stop means with which corresponding edge portions of the wings 13 and 14 of the carrier plate 12 are adapted to abut when said wings are in unfolded or outspread position whereby the carrier plate 12 is blocked from unintentional removal from a secured position in relation to the mop head in directions extending axially of the hinge joining said wings. It will be appreciated that the mop or like heads can be replaced without the user stooping or touching the heads which may be dirty. This is of great advantage when, for example, a floor is to be swept, scrubbed, mopped and polished.

The rigidity of the plastics backing member of the scrubber mop or shampooer head 25 is increased by the firm attachment to the base 27. It will be appreciated, however, that the member 26 may be sufiiciently rigid to carry, for example, a sponge slab glued directly thereto.

In the alternative form of head shown in FIGURE 5, a rigid backing member is provided by a wooden back 35 of a scrubber head, a pair of metal plates 36 being attached one to each end of the back 35 by wood screws 37. Each plate is formed with inwardly-projecting side lips 33 and with an upstanding end flange 39; the lips provide recesses 44) to receive the edges of the hinged carrier plate 12, and the flanges 39 to act to position the mop head correctly. Again, plates such as 35 may be secured to a head other than a scrubber head if the head is provided with a rigid backing member.

I claim:

1. A mop having a slab of plastic sponge material, a rigid base to which said slab is fixed in totally underlying relation to said base, said base having means in fixed association therewith defining an upwardly facing area commensurate with the peripheral limits of said base, a pair of recesses along spaced parallel lines adjacent opposite edge portions of said area, said recesses facing toward portions of said area between said edge portions, a carrier plate including a pair of wings joined by a hinge, said wings presenting edge portions remote from and parallel to said hinge which are receivable in said recesses when said wings of the carrier plate are in outspread relation and from which said wings are disengageable when said wings are moved from outspread to folded position, and stop means with which edge portions of said wings are adapted to abut along lines extending lengthwise of the distance between said opposite edge portions of said area to prevent withdrawal of said wings from an engaged position within said recesses in directions extending axially of the hinge joining said wings.

2. A mop having a slab of plastic spong material, a rigid base to which said slab is fixed in totally underlying relation to said base member, said base having means in fixed association therewith defining an upwardly facing area commensurate with the peripheral limits of said base, a pair of recesses provided along spaced parallel lines adjacent opposite edge portions of said area, said recesses facing toward portions of said area between said edge portions, a carrier plate including a pair of wings joined by a hinge, said wings presenting edge portions remote from and parallel to said hinge which are receivable in said recesses when said wings of the carrier plate are in outspread relation and from which said wings are disengageable when said wings are moved from outspread to folded position, a handle having a lower end portion to which one of said wings of the carrier plate is fixed, a lever pivotally supported on said handle for swinging movement toward and away from said lower end portion of said handle, and a link connecting the other of said wings of the carrier plate to said lever whereby said wing moves between folded and outspread positions relative to the wing hinged thereto in response to swinging movement of said lever.

3. A mop according to claim 2, wherein a clamp fixed to said handle is engageable with said link to releasably hold the wing of the carrier plate connected thereto in outspread relation to said other wing of the carrier plate.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,993,571 3/35 Soderberg 15--231 2,419,748 4/47 Weber et al 15231 X 2,715,743 8/55 Ljungdahl 15119.1 2,750,613 6/56 Trindl 15-1 19 2,804,638 9/57 Vosbikian et al. 3,031,705 5/62 Herman et al. l5l 19 FOREIGN PATENTS 546,167 7/56 Italy.

596,139 4/34 Germany.

736,847 9/55 Great Britain.

CHARLES A. WILLMUTH, Primary Examiner. 

1. A MOP HAVING A SLAB OF PLASTIC SPONGE MATERIAL, A RIGID BASE TO WHICH SAID SLAB IS FIXED IN TOTALLY UNDERLYING RELATION TO SAID BASE, SAID BASE HAVING MEANS IN FIXED ASSOCIATION THEREWITH DEFINING AN UPWARDLY FACING AREA COMMENSURATE WITH THE PERIPHERAL LIMITS OF SAID BASE, A PAIR OF RECESSES ALONG SPACED PARALLEL LINES ADJACENT OPPOSITE EDGE PORTIONS OF SAID AREA, SAID RECESSES FACING TOWARD PORTIONS OF SAID AREA BETWEEN SAID EDGE PORTIONS, A CARRIER PLATE INCLUDING A PAIR OF WINGS JOINED BY A HINGE, SAID WINGS PRESENTING EDGE PORTIONS REMOTE FROM AND PARALLEL TO SAID HINGE WHICH ARE RECEIVABLE IN SAID RECESSES WHEN SAID WINGS OF THE CARRIER PLATE ARE IN OUT- 